Consequences
by CreativePunk77
Summary: Sequel to Homework. Harvey Hunter, after turning in his homework, has to face the consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**To all my readers, especially RedDragon, hope you enjoy! :)**

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><p>The sharp rap of knuckles on the wooden door woke Harvey Hunter. Groaning he rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. There was a small squeak as the door opened, accompanied by a set of footsteps, which stopped at the foot of his bed. Twisting himself round, he was confronted with his mother's radiant smile which Harvey returned with one of his own.<p>

"Morning Mum." He yawned.

"Morning Harvey." She replied.

He sat up and ran a hand through his fair hair. Glancing at the clock, he sagged. Seven am on a Monday morning. His mum noticed his body language and sighed.

"Oh sweetie, I know you want to stay in bed but you've got school." Ignoring his groan, she continued.

"I'm dropping all three of you off today so be ready by ten past eight."

She turned and started to leave before pausing in the doorway.

"By the way, you did do your maths homework didn't you?"

Harvey nodded.

His mum smiled. "See there was no point worrying about it was there?" With that, she left his bedroom and went downstairs.

Harvey sighed. He wished he could believe his mum. It was true that he had been thrilled when Dinah had agreed to help him with his homework. He had spent about an hour yesterday pacing around his room trying to sum up the courage to ask her.

His parents hadn't been able to help him with it when he had brought it home that Friday. Splat had also not been able to offer help. Even Mandy who was brilliant at maths had raised her eyebrows at the sums. Ian's jaw had dropped and Ingrid had exclaimed about the sums being impossible and that only a genius could solve them. Her suggestion of Dinah was quickly shot down by an angry Lloyd.

Saturday had melted into Sunday and with each passing hour, Harvey's worry had increased. Until finally at eight pm, he had taken the plunge and asked her. Within ten minutes, Dinah had seeked him out, producing the now completed sheet with a flourish.

He had flung himself at her, wrapping his arms around her slim frame in a quick hug. She had patted him awkwardly. Harvey had pulled himself away, blushing furiously and thanking her with every breath he could manage.

No matter what Lloyd said, Dinah really wasn't that bad.

After showering and changing into his much hated uniform, Harvey descended the stairs and into the hallway where he was greeted by his father.

"Morning Harvey."

"Morning –"He let out a yawn. "Dad."

Mr Hunter chuckled before ruffling his youngest son's hair. He glanced at his watch before picking up his briefcase.

"Enjoy school son."

"I'll try to." Harvey replied with a weak smile. His dad shaking his head in amusement as he left the house.

Wandering into the kitchen, the youngest Hunter wasn't surprised to see that the occupants were in total silence. Dinah was nibbling a piece of toast and had locked gazes with the table whilst Lloyd was slurping his drink and sending glares towards the newest addition of their home. Lloyd grinned at his brother as he padded over to the table.

"Alright H? Ready for school?"

"I'm fine and no."

"Well that makes two of us." He chuckled.

Harvey glanced shyly at Dinah.

"Morning Dinah."

The girl raised her head, a hint of surprise spread across her face.

"Morning Harvey." She replied, her expression relaxing into a smile.

Lloyd narrowed her eyes at her. Even though she was friendly, she was still one of Them. He had spent almost half a decade keeping his younger brother out of trouble and Lloyd wanted to keep it the same this year. Harvey sat himself down and began pouring the contents of the cereal box into a bowl. After adding milk and sipping some orange juice, he picked up his book, the Aeromodeller and began to read.

At ten past eight, the four of them all piled into the car. Harvey sat in the back, his homework sheet securely tucked into his schoolbag. He didn't want to think of what punishment the Headmaster would have dished out if he had turned up to school with an unanswered sheet of paper.

A familiar sense of dread filled the young boy as his mother pulled up outside of the school. The three children clambered out of the car, directing a quick wave towards Mrs Hunter before joining the throng of students marching into the school playground.

Lloyd and Harvey spotted the rest of Splat and huddled together. The latter had noticed that Dinah had detached herself from the group and now stood leaning against the brick wall. He felt sorry for her and would have gone over but he knew that the others, especially Lloyd, would give him hell for it.

"Did you catch the Eddy Hair Show last night?" asked Ian.

All members of Splat nodded vigorously.

"Yeah it was brilliant. Did you see the Great School Quiz?" questioned Mandy.

"Of course." Ingrid snorted. "I got one of the questions right too!"

Harvey smiled at her. "That's great Ing."

She grinned back at him. "Thanks Harv."

Whilst the four of them had been discussing animatedly about their favourite show, Lloyd had remained silent. He was worried for Harvey. His little brother had been close to tears when he had unveiled the homework to Splat. Eventually they had managed to calm him down (by telling him that his whole class had been given the homework as well) and changed their topic of discussion.

Last night before they had gone to bed, Harvey had slipped into his room and proclaimed with a wide grin that the homework had been completed. Before Lloyd could speak, Harvey had exited the room, leaving the former scratching his head.

"School form lines!"

"Yes Rose." The pupils chanted.

Lloyd broke out of his thoughts in time to see the Prefects assemble in a row. Rose and Jeff were scanning the playground for any stragglers, their lips curling whenever a member of Splat filled their vision.

He quickly joined his line, throwing his friends a brief glance. The other members caught his eye and nodded. Harvey was now wringing his hands, his nervousness evident. Lloyd mouthed at him to not worry.

"School lead in!"

"Yes Jeff."

Lloyd did not see his younger brother's reply as he followed his line into the school.

Day Six of Hell had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

**This story is going to contain Harvey/Ingrid as I do ship them and there may be some hints of it in this chapter. Anyway hope you enjoy readers :)**

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><p>Trudging into school, Harvey wished he had stayed in bed. Lloyd had missed his frantic mouthings about how he was nervous even though the homework was completed and no doubt correct.<p>

However he had managed to catch Ingrid's attention. She had grinned and given him a thumbs up before his view was swamped by other pupils swarming into the building. Despite his nervousness, a feeling of warmth radiated in the pit of his stomach. Ingrid had such a beautiful smile…

Harvey marched down the corridors towards his lesson, which had turned out, to his dismay, to be maths.

He entered the classroom, slipped past his teacher and took his usual seat at the back next to Lucy Hudson. Though she was one of 'Them', Harvey had shared a couple of hushed conversations with her during school hours. She was friendly enough but the youngest Hunter knew that they could not hang around with each other during break otherwise the prefects would punish them.

A cold shiver ran up his spine. Harvey feared the Prefects, especially Jeff. Whilst the rest of Splat agreed that Rose was the most sinister, he did not. Every time, he saw that mop of red hair, that cruel smile tugging at that freckled face, his heartbeat would rapidly increase. For some reason Jeff had a vendetta against Harvey Hunter and said one had no idea why.

Thanks to Splat, Harvey hadn't gotten into a lot of trouble over the years spent attending the school. Yet he knew he had to stay low. It was the second week back and already he had risked punishment by going inside early to do the registers. Luckily Lloyd had raced after him and had pulled him back outside before being seen.

The bell rang signalling the start of the lesson. Mr Brown gazed out at a sea of youthful faces. In a regular school he would have had to hush them but this was no regular school. Harvey gulped, he had fifty five minutes to sit through until the homework was to be collected.

'_Joy.'_ The small boy thought.

Mr Brown turned to the whiteboard and began to write down the topic of that lesson. Harvey's heart sank when he saw that they were going to be doing simultaneous equations. This was not going to be a good day. The minutes dragged by slowly, his watch ticking seemed deafening to his ears. The other pupils wrote down their notes precisely in perfect handwriting. Harvey scribbled down his, the ink from his pen smudging as his hand flew across the page whilst trying to make sense of it all.

Mr Brown glanced at the clock and cleared his throat.

"Homework please."

Harvey raised his head so fast that his neck gave a small twinge. Frantically he scrabbled about in his schoolbag for the item. After locating it, he plucked it from the depths of his bag and placed it on the surface in front of him. His teacher embarked on his journey of collecting the classes' homework. Harvey scanned the paper closely for any obvious mistakes. He sighed in relief, everything was fine.

The young boy watched with apprehension as Mr Brown approached their desk, hand outstretched. Lucy handed hers over immediately. Harvey gulped and with a slight tremor in his hand pressed the sheet of paper into the older man's hand.

The bell rang for break. The students packed away their equipment and stood behind their chairs in silence. Mr Brown moved back towards the front of the room and placed the papers onto his desk. He turned to address the class.

"I will mark these myself tonight. I expect forty out of forty. If not achieved there will be consequences to deal with." His gaze lingering on Harvey. "Class dismissed." On that note the pupils filed out of the classroom and headed towards the playground for break.

Harvey met up with the others, forming a tight knit circle.

"How was everybody's lessons?" asked Mandy.

"I had English, we're doing Shakespeare, made me nearly fall asleep!" declared Ian.

"Urgh science was so boring! I hate being stuck with the goody goods!" Ingrid moaned loudly.

The others immediately shushed her, craning their necks round to confirm that they had not been overheard. The small statured girl glanced guiltily at each member before resting her gaze on Harvey.

"I'd rather be with you Harv."

He blushed bright red and mumbled under his breath. Ingrid noticed his blush and pretended to cough to hide her smile at his bashfulness.

"How was maths H?" Lloyd inquired with bated breath. All eyes locked on Harvey, whose face was slowly returning back to it's normal colour. The others tensed, ready to console their friend if he became upset. Lloyd was even prepared to march into the school and confront the Headmaster if drastic measures were needed. To his utmost relief, his younger brother broke out into a cheerful grin.

"It was fine L. I gave in my homework and I kept my head down. No trouble at all."

This caused Splat to break out into cheering that quickly ended courtesy of the Prefects barking orders at them to be quiet and get in their lines and how they are the voices of the Headmaster and must be obeyed. Mandy shot warning looks to Lloyd and Ingrid, fearing that they may be impulsive and draw the wrath of the Prefects. Luckily neither did.

The rest of the day was uneventful and as the final bell rang, Splat gathered up their bags and exited the building, sighing with relief that another day in hell was over.

The five of them strolled out of the school gates and started to make their way towards the shed that housed the Splat meetings, unaware that Dinah was several feet behind them and contemplating whether or not she should run up to them and join in their chat. However she lost sight of them briefly due to a group of students moving past her and blocking her view.

After a couple of minutes the students veered off onto another street. Dinah glanced at Splat's retreating backs, a hint of sadness tugging at her heart. She hadn't expected them to become best of friends but she had hoped that they would have at least waited for her and asked how her day was.

She shook her head. Of course they wouldn't. They were firm friends, children who had rallied together in a school where they were considered outsiders. And in this school and Splat's opinion she wasn't an outsider. Dinah wished they would open up a little, she knew that none of them were horrible people, they just didn't fit in so kept themselves to themselves.

Dinah shook her head again. What was she thinking? Of course they would be suspicious, what with her being the new girl and all. Yet her mind told her that there was something else. A bigger reason as to why the five of them didn't fit in. Starting to make her way to her temporary home, Dinah vowed to find out more about the school and the elusive Headmaster.

Splat lost the trail of the other pupils when they approached the street adjoined to the field that the shed was located at. Ian, Lloyd and Mandy were discussing the events of that particular school day in serious tones. Dawdling behind the others, the youngest two were enveloped in their own conversation.

"So H did you hear?!"

Harvey glanced at Ingrid who was bounding along the pavement excitedly.

"Hear about what?"

"About The Eddy Hair Show! The competition!"

"No I didn't… what's the competition about?" He asked now intrigued.

"God Harv, do you not pay attention to it?" She sighed dramatically. "On Thursday, Eddy's going to ask a question. Everybody who is taking part in the competition writes down the answer on a slip of paper and posts it to their address. Then on Friday, Eddy's going to announce the winners on his show! The first two names who he pulls out of the ballot box and who've answered it correctly win free tickets to see the show live!"

Excitement built inside of him. He had always wanted to see it live and if by some miraculous chance the two of them won it, it would be a million times better.

"Wow Ing, are you going to enter?"

She snorted. "Course I'm going to enter! You never know, we might actually get the chance to meet Eddy!"

They both looked at each other, grinning madly and uttered: "Got you guessing? That's how I like it!" Before bursting into high pitched laughter.

Lloyd whirled round with an angry expression plastered over his face.

"Oi you two! Cackling like hyenas!"

The pair abruptly ceased their laughter as it occurred to them that they were now outside the Splat shed. Harvey and Ingrid muttered apologies to Lloyd whilst Mandy and Ian unlocked the shed. A tense silence filled the air until Ian came up and clapped a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"Come on L, their only kids! Let them have their fun. Now c'mon Reddie let's get this Splat meeting underway!"

'_Good old Ian.' _Thought Lloyd. '_Always knows how to diffuse a situation.'_

Amidst Harvey and Ingrid's protests of being called 'kids' the four of them followed Mandy into the shed and began their meeting.

It was five o' clock when the members of Splat emerged from their hideout. Gazing at the swiftly darkening sky, the five of them hurried out onto the pavement and down the street in a line.

As the first drops of rain fell, Ian shared a joke that caused them to all laugh uproariously. Harvey clutched his sides but not before accidently brushing his hand against Ingrid's. A mixture of delight and embarrassment ran through his body. He wished he had enough courage to take her hand in his. He wished he had enough confidence to tell her that she was more than a friend to him.

They separated on the corner of the street that housed the Hunter's residence just as the rain began to pelt with force. Mandy and Ingrid ran in the opposite direction, blazers over their head, squealing as a car zoomed past them, sending spray everywhere. Ian ducked into the alleyway that led him to his house whilst Lloyd and Harvey raced to their home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Apologies for the delay. I hope you enjoy this chapter and that everybody had a great Christmas :)**

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><p>At the exact time that Splat were leaving the shed, Mr Brown was seated at his desk. The sound of torrential rain hitting the school roof was enough to drive anybody mad but such things did not bother Trevor Brown. He had a duty to fulfil. To carry out the rules of the Headmaster and discipline anyone who dare disobey them.<p>

The maths homework he had collected earlier in the day was simple enough to mark. As expected, all of the sheets marked so far had been granted full marks.

The minutes ticked by. The stack of papers swiftly dwindled until there was only one left. His lip curled in disgust. Harvey Hunter. A fifth of the band of troublemakers in the school. Mr Brown remembered teaching the boy's older brother Lloyd.

'_Although not a genius like the Glass girl, Lloyd Hunter has more intellect than his weakling of a brother.' _He thought. '_His weakling of a brother who is twice as troublesome.'_

Observing the sheet, Trevor Brown narrowed his eyes. There was something not right with Hunter's homework and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He plucked the previous sheet from the pile of marked work and compared the two. Lucy Hudson had the exact same as Hunter, meaning that he had actually achieved forty out of forty.

Yet Mr Brown was suspicious.

'_Maybe the Headmaster needs to mark this for himself.'_

Setting Hunter's homework aside, he neatly placed the rest of the sheets into his leather briefcase and locked it. Tomorrow would be judgement day for Harvey Hunter. And Trevor Brown could not wait.

At the Hunter house, Dinah was seated at the dining table, concentrating on her work, pausing every ten seconds or so to munch on a banana. When she had gotten in from school, she had been tempted to eat a chocolate bar but something in her mind had disagreed and steered her towards the fruit bowl, claiming that bananas were 'brain food.'

Teresa Hunter entered the kitchen, wrapping her cardigan around herself. She smiled fondly at Dinah before glancing out at the darkened sky. Huge black clouds were bursting with fat drops of rain and the thunder rumbled close by.

Turning towards the girl seated at the dining table, Mrs Hunter sat down on one of the chairs.

"Are you okay Dinah?"

The girl glanced up from her work at the sound of her name. Seeing that it was her foster mother, she finished off her snack before depositing the banana skin into the bin and smiling weakly.

"Yes Mrs Hunter I'm okay."

Teresa's smile widened. "It's good to see you settling in. How was your day?"

Immediately Dinah's face became blank as she uttered in a tone that resembled her expression: "It was great. In assembly today, we learnt about the hibernation patterns of various animals. It was very interesting."

Mrs Hunter leant across the table and patted the girl's hand. "I am glad that you enjoy school." Sighing she withdrew her hand from Dinah's. "I just wish that Lloyd and Harvey could share the same enthusiasm that you have for school."

Dinah blinked as Mrs Hunter stood up and began preparing dinner. Something at the very back of her mind was nagging at her but she ignored it. It was true that she liked school but at the moment, she wasn't enjoying this school as much as the other schools she had attended.

'_It's only the second week of school, things are bound to change. It's probably the post summer blues. By next week I'm sure Lloyd and the others will be singing the school's praises.'_

Dinah kept repeating that thought of positivity in her head but deep down she knew that it wasn't true. Sighing she got back to work.

The sound of the front door slamming caught both Dinah and Teresa's attention. Lloyd and Harvey entered into the hallway, soaking wet, dropping their schoolbags by the coatrack. Mrs Hunter quickly abandoned her chopping of vegetables to usher the boys upstairs to get changed out of their soggy uniforms and into something warmer.

An hour later, the five occupants of the household were seated at the table. Lloyd was once again complaining about the school whilst his parents argued that most of the other children had no qualms about it before dragging Dinah into the conversation. This left Harvey who was stirring his dinner around the plate, dreaming of Ingrid.

"You agree with me don't you H?"

Harvey jumped as he broke out of his daydream which consisted of him and Ingrid having a picnic.

"Sorry what?"

Lloyd stared at him and rolled his eyes. "Earth to Harvey. The school is horrible isn't it?"

Harvey nodded before glancing at his parents. "It really is." He whispered.

Suddenly Dinah spoke up. "May I be excused? I have homework to finish off."

An exasperated Mrs Hunter stated that she could. Dinah stood up, put her plate into the dishwasher and headed up stairs.

Bill Hunter regarded his sons in annoyance. "Which is what you two should be doing instead of badmouthing the school. Er I don't want to hear any more of it." This last sentence was directed at Lloyd, who with a barely contained huff, closed his mouth.

The pair put their plates away before going upstairs. They entered the den, the redhead throwing a seated Dinah a dirty look. Harvey tentatively smiled at the girl as he sat down at the table. She offered one of her own in return. Lloyd hurled himself onto one of the sofas.

The three of them proceeded to work. Lloyd and Dinah both plodding and flying through history respectively whilst Harvey struggled with geography. A beeping sound alerted the youngest Hunter that his favourite show was on. With a grin, Harvey set his pen down, reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

For the next half an hour, the brothers laughed and cheered at the antics of Eddy Hair and the contestants on the show. When the Great School Quiz approached, Dinah set her work aside and managed to answer three questions correctly.

Lloyd shot the girl a raised eyebrow as curiosity about her intelligence bubbled to the surface. Harvey on the other hand was gaping at her in awe.

"Wow Di! That was amazing, I wish I was that clever!"

Dinah blushed and rubbed her arm. "Not really and you are clever Harvey."

The small boy smiled, told her that he wasn't really and quickly shushed an inquisitive Lloyd when the Simpsons came on. Throughout the programme, Lloyd kept glancing at Dinah. He was worried that Harvey would tell her about Splat. She was one of Them and if she found out about it, he didn't think that she would hesitate in informing the Headmaster about their group.

Until nine pm, the three of them picked up from where they had left on their homework. Mrs Hunter poked her head around the door.

"Harvey it's bedtime."

He groaned. "But Mum I haven't finished my geography and it's due tomorrow!"

She sighed and stepped into the room. "How many questions do you have left to do?"

Harvey scanned his homework. "One but I have to complete all of it otherwise I'll get in trouble! And… it's really hard, it's taken me ages to do!"

His mother patted his shoulder. "I'm sure your teacher won't mind if you explain to them that you found it challenging and couldn't complete it in time. At least you attempted it."

Harvey's jaw dropped in horror. "No they won't accept that! A normal school would but not this one!"

Dinah creased her forehead together, her curiosity piqued at Harvey's statement. She parted her lips but closed them upon seeing Lloyd's expression. He was glaring at her as he put an arm around his brother, who was close to tears.

"Tell you what H. I'll help you with it in the morning before school."

Harvey sniffed and looked up at Lloyd, breaking out into a grin. "Really? Thanks L." He stood up, gathered his homework and waved at Lloyd and Dinah. "Night."

As Harvey departed from the den, Mrs Hunter glanced at the two eleven year olds.

"Fifteen minutes till bedtime. I'll see you two in the morning. Goodnight." She smiled and hugged Lloyd and Dinah before exiting the room.

An awkward silence filled the room. Lloyd huffed and started to collect his homework together. Five minutes later, he strode from the room, not even bothering to wish Dinah a goodnight. The girl sighed, finished off her homework with a flourish before packing up and leaving the room, flicking the light off on her way out.

The next morning, Harvey found Lloyd chewing his cereal mundanely. He wasn't surprised at this action. Every morning before school, Lloyd was temperamental and Harvey didn't blame him. The small boy made himself some toast and sat down at the table, looking over the last question on his geography homework whilst spilling crumbs over the sheet.

Lloyd glanced up from his stabbing of cornflakes and shifted his chair closer to Harvey. As the two struggled to finish the work, Dinah entered the kitchen. Making her breakfast, she noticed what they were doing.

Tentatively she offered her services: "Do you need any help?"

The brothers raised their heads, Harvey opening his mouth but Lloyd interrupted him.

"No thanks we don't accept help from people who think the Headmaster is _marvellous."_ He spat.

Dinah nodded stiffly and sat down. Harvey gaped at Lloyd before addressing her.

"I do actually, you can look at it if y – you don't mind Di."

She smiled thinly as Lloyd rose to his feet, anger clouding his face.

"I told you before H! If they find out that she helped you on this then you're in for it! And I won't help get you out!"

He slammed his bowl onto the counter before stomping out of the kitchen. Harvey paled. Dinah had helped him on the maths homework and if Mr Brown discovered that Harvey hadn't actually done it then he was in for it. No doubt Lloyd and the others would find out too. He gulped. He prayed that Mr Brown hadn't found anything suspicious.

Dinah took Lloyd's seat and helped Harvey complete his homework. After accomplishing the work, Harvey smiled and thanked her, finished off his breakfast and left the kitchen to pack his schoolbag. Dinah put away her bowl and waited by the door for Lloyd and Harvey.

Ten minutes later, the three children were walking to school in silence. Harvey was deep in thought and Dinah didn't fancy attempting to make small talk with a hostile Lloyd.

Upon entering the playground, Lloyd and Harvey rushed over to the others whilst Dinah reluctantly joined a circle, standing next to Lucy. As the Prefects began ordering everybody into their lines, Lloyd caught Harvey's arm.

"Be careful H. Just give in your geography homework and keep your head down. I'll see you at break."

Harvey nodded, biting his lip as he joined his line. He spotted Ingrid, who grinned at him. He blushed and smiled weakly in return, his anxiety growing.

Trudging into school, Mandy Fletcher fiddled with her hair. Her plait was coming loose which would result in the wild curls springing out. Which would result in trouble. Gritting her teeth as she approached the classroom, she quickly undid her plait. Seconds after her hair fell around her shoulders, she secured it into a ponytail with the hairband.

Taking her seat, she sighed in relief. She had overslept that morning as her parents had been sorting out her sister's belongings for when she went back to university. Mandy had barely had enough time to shower, put on her clothes and eat breakfast before she was shepherded off to school. She blinked, realizing that the maths lesson had started already. Quietly rummaging in her bag, her eyes widened when she could not locate her pencil case. Setting her maths book onto the table, Mandy glanced around. Nobody was going to loan her any of their equipment so with a sag of her shoulders, she raised a hand.

Mrs Walters's eyes narrowed when the troublemaker put her hand up. Raising her eyebrow, she inquired:

"Yes Miss Fletcher?"

All of the pupils turned to stare at Mandy. She swallowed the sudden bout of nervousness and steadily replied to the teacher.

"I've forgotten my pencil case. May I borrow some equipment please?"

Mrs Walters shook her head as she gestured towards the door.

"Go and collect the required equipment from the storage cupboard. You have five minutes."

Mandy nodded and hurriedly rose from her seat and walked briskly out of the room. She strode down the corridor, controlling her breathing, unconsciously quickening her pace as she approached the storage cupboard.

"Mandy Fletcher! Stop!"

She did instantly, biting her lip as Simon's footsteps from behind drew nearer. He moved around so that he was now facing her. His face and voice laced with distaste, he inquired:

"What are you doing out of class? You know that it is against the rules to wander in the corridors during lessons!"

She nodded, forcing her hands to stay by her sides and not play with her hair as she liked to do when she was nervous.

"I forgot my pencil case so I was going to the storage cupboard to collect some equipment."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "Who allowed you to carry out this objective?"

"Mrs Walters did."

The Prefect smirked. "Yet I see no note in your hands? Unless it is in your blazer?"

Mandy could feel the nervousness start to creep up on her. "No Simon, Mrs Walters didn't provide me with a note."

His smirk increased as he took out a notebook and unclipped the pen from his pocket. He began to write down what had just happened under a section entitled 'Troublemakers.' Finishing, he glanced at Mandy.

"You have no visual evidence to support your claim of being allowed to leave class. You have broken a rule, Mandy Fletcher. Therefore you will be punished. Rose will be assigning you extra work during your study session. Now collect the exact equipment and go back to class."

He pushed past her. Mandy took a couple of deep breaths to exert the fear she was feeling before opening the storage cupboard and gathering the necessary stationary. Upon returning to class, slipping back into her seat and putting her head down to work, Mandy sagged her shoulders in relief at the fact that her punishment was quite light. If she had argued then she would have been in for it. Clearing her head of such thoughts, she concentrated on her maths.

When the bell for break rang, Splat trudged out of the building and met up in their circle. At the sight of Mandy's withdrawn expression, Ingrid tilted her head.

"What's up doc?" She asked goofily.

At that Harvey burst out laughing. Ian and Lloyd shared a look, raising their eyebrows. Ingrid grinned and stuck out her front teeth, imitating a rabbit. Mandy smiled at this but instantly froze and frantically gestured with her hand.

Yet she didn't have to warn them as they all heard the unmistakeable sound of footsteps. Splat crowded in closer, noticing that the other pupils had ceased their chanting and were now looking at them.

Rose and Jeff stood behind Splat, curling their lips in disgust. Jeff trailed around to Harvey and pitched his voice.

"What were you laughing at Harvey?"

The small boy stiffened and fiddled with his blazer.

"I – Ingrid asked Mandy a q – question in a goofy voice that's all."

Jeff smirked and leaned in close to Harvey's terrified form. "And you thought that was funny? I don't know how you could find Ingrid Smith funny. What do you love her or something?"

At this remark, Harvey blushed. Ingrid narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists causing Mandy to lay a warning hand on her arm. However Lloyd piped up:

"Leave them alone!"

Jeff gazed at Lloyd and smirked. "Stay out of this Lloyd unless you want to get into further trouble and have to have the Headmaster deal with you."

Ian barely contained his snort as he muttered under his breath: "Yeah a perfect excuse for a punishment."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "What was that Ian?" She raised her eyebrows inquiringly.

Ian gulped. "Nothing Rose."

She nodded. "Good. Now I suggest in the future that all of you be quiet. Get into your lines!"

Splat jumped and immediately spilt up into their lines whilst Jeff ordered the other children to do the exact same.

Dinah had watched that whole scenario from afar. They were all petrified. She was wrong and she was never wrong. School wasn't going to get better for Splat. As long as the Prefects and the Headmaster were here.

The day rolled by slowly. When lunchtime commenced, Splat met at their usual table. Dinah sat at a table far away from them but could still hear their conversation as they were the only ones making noise.

Mandy prodded at her food, knowing that her friends were casting worried looks towards her. Ian, who was sitting opposite her, leaned forward and asked gently:

"Are you ok? Did something happen?"

Mandy set down her cutlery and addressed her concerned friends.

"I had maths before break and I forgot my pencil case. Mrs Walters sent me to the storage cupboard to collect equipment but Simon was patrolling the corridors and the outcome is I'm receiving a punishment."

The other members of Splat gasped at this. Harvey sputtered:

"W – What's your punishment?"

She offered them a reassuring smile. "It's just extra work."

Ian, Harvey and Ingrid sighed in relief, knowing that the punishment could have been far worse. Yet Lloyd was still tense. They really needed to keep their heads down from now on especially with a spy living in one of their houses.

He turned his attention towards his brother. "H no trouble with the geography homework?"

Harvey grinned. "No trouble whatsoever."

Upon finishing their meals, Splat rose from their seats, ignoring the wondering eyes fixated on their forms. As they traipsed along the corridor, Harvey kept sneaking glances at Ingrid. She was one of his best friends and he felt happier when she was around.

Entering the library, they deposited their schoolbags underneath the table and took their seats. Rose strode into the room, her gaze instantly settling onto Mandy, her face lighting up with a type of sick glee. Withdrawing a wad of paper from her blazer, she placed it in front of Mandy.

"You are to do these questions at home. The questions are on a wide range of topics and there is an essay alongside it. You have till Friday to complete all of them. If not, the Headmaster will be dealing with you."

Mandy nodded and slipped them into her bag.

Splat worked solidly till the end of the day. Upon being dismissed, they strode out of the school, Harvey and Ingrid breaking into a demented sort of skip whilst Lloyd, Ian and Mandy shook their heads at the pair's antics.

Dinah followed the other pupils out of the gates, wincing as a headache began to form. She had tried desperately to recall what had happened just before assembly commenced. Yet all she remembered was marching into assembly and then coming out of it. Sighing she made her way to the Hunter's home.

Once all the pupils had left the school for the day, Mr Brown approached the Headmaster's office, Harvey Hunter's homework in hand. He knocked twice.

"Enter."

Mr Brown opened the door and positioned himself in front of the desk. The Headmaster glanced up from his papers and cocked an eyebrow at the teacher.

"Well?"

Mr Brown placed the piece of paper where the Headmaster could see it before addressing him.

"This is Harvey Hunter's mathematics homework. I marked it last night and surprisingly the boy has managed to gain forty out of forty. Yet I am sure that Hunter has cheated. Surely he could not get full marks. The boy's intellectual capacity is unsubstantial enough to complete these sums."

The Headmaster's eyes skimmed down the paper quickly. He raised his head and gestured for the teacher to leave.

"Go home. I will deal with this." Mr Brown obeyed immediately.

The Headmaster took out a pen and began marking the sums himself. Finishing, he sat back impressed. Impressed with Dinah Glass.

"I always knew that you were an intelligent girl Miss Glass. But doing Harvey Hunter's homework for him? I cannot let that slide. The stupid boy should have at least written the work in his own handwriting."

He smirked at the massive contrast between Harvey's untidy scrawl, bearing his name and Dinah's neat, precise penmanship that was viewable on the majority of the page.

He chuckled as he wrote in the corner of the sheet: '0/40. See me.' Harvey Hunter must have known that he would not be able to get away with cheating. The boy would soon find out what happens to those who cheat.

Placing the offending article into a drawer, the Headmaster smiled sinisterly as he rose from his seat and left his office, ordering the whitecoats to follow him.

He was going to enjoy this school year.


End file.
